Article snippet: Only two women playing in the Wimbledon singles tournament this year have won the singles title. Neither of them is Serena Williams, which makes for quite a career opportunity. “When Serena is not around, the field is definitely wide open,” said Martina Navratilova, the nine-time Wimbledon singles champion who once was even more dominant than the seven-time champion Williams at the All England Club. With Williams pregnant and out until at least next season, the two former champions in the draw are Petra Kvitova and Williams’s older sister, Venus. Both Venus Williams and Kvitova, for different reasons, will be sentimental favorites. Both, for different reasons, are dealing with more than forehands and backhands. Kvitova has made one of the great comebacks in a sport that seems to have cornered the market in comebacks, but it is unclear how much the effort has taken out of her physically or emotionally. She withdrew from the grass-court tournament in Eastbourne, England, last week, citing an abdominal strain. Williams, now 37 and preparing to play in her 20th Wimbledon, is having the finest season of her late-career phase, but she was involved in a car crash in Florida in early June that led to the death of an elderly passenger in the other vehicle, according to a police report released last week. The crash remains under investigation, according to police in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. As of last Friday, Williams had not been cited or charged and hadn’t commented publ... Link to the full article to read more
Without Serena Williams, There’s No Clear Favorite at Wimbledon - The New York Times
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